Crossing the Rift:Episode Two:The Last Heirbender
by TheBleachDoctor
Summary: Zuko just wants some rest and relaxation. As for John, Jade, and Vriska... they won't get any for a while. Crossing the Rift continues as the Homestuck crew crosses dimensions into the world of Avatar! Rated T for language and violence. Episode 2 of "Crossing the Rift"
1. Chapter 1

**Crossing the Rift: Episode 2-The Last Heirbender**

**Chapter 1: Open Fire**

You wouldn't know Fire Lord Zuko to look at him. Sometimes even he found it hard to believe that someone as young as himself was running an entire nation. The burden of command was constantly felt, weighing him down as physically as the heavy ceremonial robes he was constantly forced to wear.

That's why he was taking a short break. Zuko's uncle, Iroh, was a retired general from the Fire Nation. Iroh loved tea, and so in his retirement he set up a tea shop in the city he had once laid siege to, Ba Sing Se. There was a certain irony to that. Any resentment or misgivings the residents of Ba Sing Se had towards Iroh had been washed away by the magnificent tea he brewed.

That very same tea was calming the nerves of one very stressed Fire Lord. Things had been hectic lately. Especially that whole ordeal with Yu Dao, which had nearly thrown Fire and Earth nations back into a war that had just ended. Enough was enough, and Zuko wasn't sad at all to see the peace return.

Zuko had had enough stress to last for years, and was relishing his downtime, as he sipped the last of the tea from his cup.

"So what do you think?" Iroh smiled at his nephew, "It's a new blend I came up with."

"It's quite good, uncle," Zuko smiled slightly, setting down his cup, "I'm sure your customers will love it."

"Well then I have nothing to worry about!" Iroh laughed happily, "I was worried that this blend might turn out badly, but it looks like I now have a new type of tea for my customers to enjoy."

"What new blend of tea?"

Iroh and Zuko both turned to the very familiar voice. Their good friend from the water tribe, Sokka, had just entered, looking quite famished.

"It's something uncle came up with," Zuko smirked at Sokka, "I'm afraid it won't help your hunger, though."

"Do you have anything to eat?" Sokka almost pleaded of Iroh, who chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Iroh answered, amused, "I only sell tea here. Down the street, there's this vendor that sells the best bāo you'll ever taste. He sells out quickly, though, so you better catch him soon if you want any."

"Thanks," Sokka quickly shot out the door. Iroh and Zuko shared a look before returning to their conversation.

Or they would have, if they didn't hear Sokka scream in an unmanly high-pitched voice, "What is that?!"

Zuko and Iroh both dropped what they were doing and ran outside, as did most of Ba Sing Se.

High in the sky above the magnificent Earth Kingdom city, a massive, roiling tear in the fabric of reality churned. It was an unearthly rift, through which chaos could be seen. Energy swirled and collided. It looked like hell.

From that hell, something leapt out. A massive battleship, gilded in gold, jumped out from the rift, which promptly slammed shut. The battleship spewed flames from its underside, and smoke out of the side of the hull. Green lightning periodically danced over the hull. It hung over the city like a yellow vulture, kept aloft by fire and flames.

"That is something you don't see every day," Iroh muttered in shock. Zuko thought that was probably the understatement of the century.

Zuko and Sokka immediately snapped into tactician mode, and conferred with each other.

"Zuko, do you recognize that? There's an awful lot of fire coming from that thing." Sokka asked The Fire Lord, who shook his head.

"No," Zuko answered, disturbed, "If the Fire Nation had something like that, we wouldn't exactly be parading it over Ba Sing Se."

"Of course," Sokka pondered, "So we don't know where it's from. Should we try to talk to whoever is piloting it?"

"It's too high to shout," Zuko answered, "but I came here in a small courier ship. I could order them to try and establish communications."

"You do that," Sokka nodded, "I'm going to send Aang a message using Hawky."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, "Hawky?"

Sokka rolled his eyes, "My messenger hawk."

Zuko mentally noted to ask Sokka where he got a Fire Nation messenger hawk, but that wasn't important.

Both young men set off in separate directions, as the battleship slowly began to descend.

"What the hell did you just do? My head is killing me." Vriska groaned as she picked herself up off the floor. John was trying his best not to be sick, and Jade was leaning against the wall, coughing.

"Dimensional hop," Jade managed to cough out, "really takes it out of me."

A fit of hacking seized Jade, as she slid down to the floor. Her hand, which had been covering her mouth, came away bloody.

"I think I'll be out for a while," she moaned, "make sure we don't die, okay?"

With that, the Witch of Space passed out.

John stumbled his way over to the helm, jiggled the controls, and nothing happened.

"Controls are still unresponsive," John frowned, "This is going to be a problem. We're descending."

Vriska tapped away at the Fire Control station, getting a big ERROR message.

"Weapons are on automatic," she reported, "and I don't think we'll get control of it again anytime soon."

John messed around with the external cameras, and the view-screen sparked to life, evidently damaged during the dimensional hop.

A grainy picture of a grand city appeared. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel. A massive city of stone with a gargantuan outer wall was shown. Throngs of people occupied the streets, and there was even what looked like a monorail. That brought back memories of Seattle for John.

"John, something is approaching us," Vriska said, pointing out the window.

An impressively-sized zeppelin was ascending towards them, its spiky red and black metal surface clashing with the cool tan and green of the stone city. It looked menacing.

"That looks like trouble," Vriska said in apprehension.

"I'd have to agree," John nodded, opening a window.

A voice boomed over from the jet-black metal blimp, "Cease your descent or we will fire upon you!"

"Crap!" John exclaimed, rushing over to the helm controls and trying to get a response out of them.

"Not gonna work, John!" Vriska unhelpfully added, "Stop the ship with your windy powers!"

Taking Vriska's advice, John whipped up the air around the ship, their immediate airspace now a navigation hazard for the other airship.

A fireball lanced out from the beleaguered blimp and splashed out across their hull, doing no appreciable damage.

However, the onboard Fire Control station didn't ignore it.

"John!" Vriska cried out in alarm, pointing out the screen, which was adding the profile of the zeppelin to a list of enemy ships, which up till that point had been occupied purely by Dersian ship schematics.

As the station proclaimed **TARGET DESIGNATED, FIRING**, John stared in horror as turrets emerged from the deck of their battleship. The twelve heavy cannons swiveled to face their target.

The twelve cannons spoke, as high caliber artillery rounds streaked away from them at high velocities.

That blimp never stood a chance.

Zuko stared in horror as the unknown battleship opened fire on his airship. Projectiles punched right through the armored hull, continuing out over the walls of Ba Sing Se. His airship plummeted, consumed by fire as the inner engines broke apart.

The flaming carcass slammed into a cluster of nearby houses, smashing them and sending chunks of stone and flaming metal flying for a few blocks.

What in the Spirit's name could do such a thing? Not even the most advanced Fire Nation prototypes was capable of such destruction… okay, maybe there were some that could rival it, but those types of weapons were just unheard of! Sure, the Earth Kingdom launched stones, but what about that resounding boom right before the projectiles were launched? Earthbending didn't make such a noise! No, this was something new.

Turning on his heel, Zuko barked out orders to the remaining soldiers on the ground, "Contact the capital! I want our airship fleet here _yesterday_!"

"As you wish, my lord!" the soldiers snapped to attention and went off to carry out their orders.

The Fire Lord's day of relaxation just went to hell in a hand basket.

Elsewhere in Ba Sing Se, a quiet back-alley was ceasing to be quite so quiet.

The air rippled and tore open, unceremoniously dumping three people on top of a cart, crushing it, before sealing back up like an alligator's mouth.

The three figures were draped over one another in a pile. The person at the bottom of the pile groaned as he lay on crushed wood and vegetables, trying to extricate himself.

"Goddamn it, Kanaya," he moaned, "that was just as bad as last time."

Kanaya, who was on top, pushed herself off, dusting her clothes off, "Dave, it takes an extraordinary amount of energy to stabilize the rift. You should be glad that we are in one piece."

Rose rolled off Dave and flopped onto the ground, "Not one of my more graceful moments," she complained.

Before anything else could be said, a certain salesman rounded the corner. He thought that this back alley would save his wares, but no, it looked like fate really was out to get him.

"My cabbages!" he wailed in sorrow, collapsing and withdrawing into the fetal position as three teenagers stared at him.

_**Authors Note**: Welp, that's a great start to a new episode in Crossing the Rift! As always, review please!_


	2. Crosswinds

_A/N: Sorry for the wait… I just have had a real problem writing this chapter. Mostly on the fact that I couldn't figure out a good reason for Aang and John to fight. They're both pretty reasonable people, and if they actually start talking, then they'll probably settle things peacefully. So here's the second chapter in its entirety, sorry it's three months late._

**Chapter 2: Crosswinds**

Having one's downtime ruined by an urgent request for assistance could be quite frustrating. However, the (mostly) selfless Aang was more than happy to help. He had fond memories of Ba Sing Se, and was astonished to hear that it was being attacked. Admittedly, he had no idea what was going on; the message was very terse. What could have attacked Ba Sing Se and breached its great wall? If it was something that could break through all their defenses, Aang doubted he could help. Regardless, he would provide any help he could. It was, after all, the Avatar's duty.

"Faster, Appa!" The Avatar urged his Sky Bison on, which just grunted assent. The wind whipping by both himself and Katara picked up in speed, as Aang diverted the freezing cold air.

"Aang, I'm worried," said Katara, "What could be so bad that they felt the need to ask for your help?"

"I don't know, Katara," Aang replied, "but I guess we'll find out."

_[[413]]_

A sizable fleet of Fire Nation Airships circled the golden Battleship, flames from their Benders washing over the hull, which stubbornly held against the onslaught. In retaliation, the deck guns were firing round after round at the zeppelins. Many of the shots missed, as the airships were executing evasive maneuvers, but every other minute another Fire Nation ship burst into flames and exploded spectacularly, showering the city below with flaming bits of metal and bodies. Whereas Zuko's forces were being decimated, the solitary Battleship continued unhindered on its slow descent. Everybody in the city was panicking.

Inside the Battleship, three people were also panicking.

"How do we stop this thing?!" Vriska screeched as the ship rocked with another hit by those fireballs.

"I don't know!" Jade snapped, hands flying over the helm console, "We've lost control of most systems. Hell, I can't even control where our power is going!"

"This ship is killing people!" John screamed, "Do something!"

"Fine!" Jade shouted back in frustration, "You want to stop it now? I'll stop it now!"

Green lightning arced from Jade's body, dancing all over the ship. With a flash of jade, the ship's reactor appeared just off the bow, hanging there for a second, before plummeting towards the ground.

The ship soon followed.

Zuko stared up at the ship in horror, along with the rest of Ba Sing Se, as it tumbled uncontrollably towards the ground.

"Run!" The Fire Lord shouted, turning to run as well.

Then the screaming started.

_[[413]]_

"Oh Spirits…" Aang breathed as the sight of Ba Sing Se crested the horizon. A massive ship bigger than even a Fire Nation Dreadnaught floated above the expansive Earth Kingdom city, firing massive hunks of metal through Fire Nation airships that circled it. Many of those airships promptly exploded and fell out of the sky after being hit.

"It's a massacre!" Katara gasped in shock, "Aang, we have to help!"

"Alright," Aang nodded in assent, "Appa, get closer!"

Before the Sky Bison could move, green lightning arced over the golden ship's hull. In a flash of jade, a large gray metal cylinder appeared off the bow of the ship. It hang there for a second, before plummeting downwards, trailing metal cables and cords. The ship ceased firing, and the flames spewing underneath it sputtered out. With an audible groan of metal fatigue, the ship began to fall.

Without a moment of delay, Aang whipped out his staff, snapping the wings into position. He vaulted off Appa, and soared towards the ship as it neared the ground. He saw that if he didn't stop the ship's descent, it would flatten everyone underneath it.

This, he could not allow.

The Avatar's eyes shone brightly, along with his tattoos. The wind began to howl around him and the ship, as the air moved to support the falling hunk of metal.

Then, unexpectedly, the ship began to move. Green lightning enveloped it as it sped away from the Avatar. It arced away from populated areas and smashed into an empty park. The ship plowed through dirt and trees and it skidded to a stop, a path of destruction in its wake. The hull pinged and popped as it cooled down from the recent activity.

Meanwhile, Aang stared, dumbfounded, at the ship. What in the Spirit's name was that thing? It wasn't natural, and nothing like he'd ever seen before. Plus, that green lightning felt… wrong. There was no other way to explain it. It was something truly foreign.

Aang floated back up to Appa, landing gently on his back.

"Aang, what was that?" Katara asked, concerned.

"Something…. I'm not quite sure. Whatever it is, I'm going to need your help next for this, sweetie."

[[413]]

For the second time that day, John felt sick, and he was on the floor. This was not a good day.

The Bridge lights were completely dead, the consoles were dark, and the ship groaned from metal fatigue. They had no power.

John pushed himself up, and tried to get his bearings.  
Jade was out cold, slumped against the wall, and Vriska was coughing up blood on the floor.

"Next time, I'm driving," the Cerulean Troll groaned, trying to make light of the situation.

John pulled open the exit, and stumbled through the hallway to outside. The light momentarily blinded him, and as soon as his vision cleared he saw…

A flying bison?

"Vriska!" the Heir of Breath called her over. The Thief of Light stumbled over, wiping Cerulean blood from her mouth.

"What is it?" she asked, before looking skyward.

"Well fuck me sideways," she muttered, "is that a flying woolbeast?"

"I don't think that's a sheep," John replied, about as miffed as she was.

A approaching figure caught the attention of Vriska, who raised her sword in response.

"John, watch out!" she shouted, pushing him aside and blocking the blow from a wooden staff, grabbing the bald sky-borne assailant and hurling him into a nearby bulkhead.

She lunged, fully intending to impale the attacker, when he swung his hand, and a strong gust of wind pushed her back. What the hell, this guy had windy powers too?

John countered the wind with his own, thoroughly shocking the bald attacker. John was a bit startled when he realized just how young that guy was, probably no older than John himself. However, this kid had attacked his friend, and there was no mercy for such an act. The time for words was past.

John stepped forward, swinging his hammer at the kid's head in an attempt to finish the fight in one strike. He was blocked by that staff. Good, this wouldn't be a fight if it was over quickly.

Aang blocked a blow from that gaudy hammer, and countered by attempting to hit the blue-clad young man in the gut. Who was this person, another Airbender? Whatever or whoever he was, he and his buddy were threatening the safety of Ba Sing Se, and Aang had a duty to protect the people.

With renewed determination, he began to speed up his attacks, managing to land a few strikes on his on the blue-clothed young man, none of which fazed him.

Aang ducked on a gut feeling, and saw a blue hooked blade pass over his head. Right, he forgot about the other weird creature. Well, he couldn't fight two people at a time. Surrounding himself in a sphere of air, he quickly expanded it, giving him a bit of breathing room between him and his opponents. With a spring, Aang flew up into the air. He was surprised to see _both_ of his assailants follow him. Damn.

[[413]]

Jade watched from the sidelines as John, Vriska, and that bald kid took their fight to the skies. Three people was enough for one fight.

Just as she thought that, that weird bison thing swooped by, and a young woman in some sort of blue Asian dress dropped out of it.

Normally Jade would have talked to her, but right now, she was just pissed.

The stranger was barely on the deck for a few seconds when Jade snarled, "Get off my ship!"

The Witch of Space dodged to the side as a blast of water whipped by her head with the force of a pressure washer. If she wasn't careful, she'd lose a lot of skin to that thing.

Drawing her sword, Jade lunged at the young woman with a scream.

[[413]]

The remaining Fire Nation airships descended upon the crippled Prospitian Battleship, and proceeded to was the hull with fire. Unbeknownst to them, a certain reactor had been teleported back into place. With its power source back in place, the targeting computer booted back up. The first thing it noticed was that it was under literal fire. With that little tidbit of information, it fed power to the ship's mass drivers, which swung into place. Then they started firing again.

[[413]]

A deafening boom was heard as large metal slugs roared past the three forms of Vriska, John, and Aang. The three were locked in a duel of epic proportions. John was sporting quite a few new welts and a couple contusions on his arms and legs, which Aang's staff had more than a few nicks from Vriska's sword. Vriska herself was spotless as the trio continued to trade blows and strikes.

The Avatar was panicked; he couldn't hold out for much longer as he was. In an act of desperation, he drew upon the spirits of his past lives. His eyes instantly blazed with spiritual power, as he added fire and water to his mix of attacks. Earth from the surrounding area soared up to assist the Avatar.

John was shocked, where did all that power come from? He had to do something about it.

So he hit Aang with a tornado.

The Avatar shrugged the comparably pitiful attack off.

So John summoned up several more tornadoes, and hit Aang with those.

The Avatar struggled to negate the attack. How could another individual wield the wind to this degree?

He finally blasted the offending gales away, and began to prepare his own counterattack.

Before he could finish, Vriska tapped into the power of Ancestral Awakening, and channeled it through her sword. With a swing, she launched a crescent-shaped wave of energy that shot towards Aang.

Unlike the elements, the Avatar could not block it.

Stone, Fire, Water, and Earth parted before the attack, leaving the Avatar wide open before the powerful attack.

With the crack of a thousand cannons, Aang was hurled away from the ship, knocked unconscious and gravely injured.

[[413]]

Jade slammed the hilt of her sword into Katara's face, knocking the Waterbender out cold. The Witch of Space unceremoniously dumped her limp form over the side of the ship.

Jade's friends and family were waiting for her in the Alpha session, and none of them could afford to waste time on things such as socialization or diplomacy; those fools in Amestris had already done enough of that.

Looking upward, Jade saw that John and Vriska had finished their fight, and were descending to the deck. Good.

Pulling two of Dave's Turntables out of her Sylladex, she magnetically attached them to the ship's hull. With a flash of red, the entire ship disappeared, leaving a rather shocked and miffed Ba Sing Se to clean up their mess.

_A/N: Brutal, right? Anyways, the LoK crossover will be much, much better, but I need to rewatch the series. Follow me as an author, and I'll probably write the new chapter within the month. My fans from my SW/Halo and ME/Halo crossovers are baying for an update._


End file.
